Rally Foundation funds 'Next Steps' Undifferentiated Sarcoma Research

We are grateful to the Rally Foundation for new $40,000 award for the grant entitled, The Next Step in Defining Targeted Therapies for Undifferentiated Sarcoma.  This award follows a prior grant for in vitro studies of tumor cells from undifferentiated sarcoma mouse models, and allows Elaine and Jinu to proceed with preclinical studies in mice that will test whether our best drug(s) from a screen of 60 agents would be worth pursuing in a clinical trial.  
  
This award is in memory of a little 4 year old girl named Ava Sentell whose life was interrupted by this same cancer, and in honor of Brady Wolfe and Aidyn Reid.  
  
[update 2/7/2013:  Please see the Rally Foundation webpage for Ava's Angels Research Fund! ]

Partnership with JAX creates new childhood cancer models

We are excited to partner with Jackson Laboratory on the creation of a series of mouse models of childhood cancers.  Our first successful patient-derived xenograft model is now established for an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, with many more models in development.  The sample came from an autopsy-derived Legacy Gift.  This model accompanied by the creation of a primary cell culture model (pictured), with genetic characterization.  These resources are intended to be broadly available to all laboratories in North America and beyond.

Because pediatric cancers are rare, few established cell lines are available and many of these cell lines are very old.  For embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, the RD cell line was established in 1968 and reported in the literature in 1969.  We are grateful to the family that made their child's Legacy Gift possible in order to advance the field.